For the 15th consecutive month in a row, single-family home sales in Rhode Island dropped in April, according to a new report from publisher and real estate data provider The Warren Group.

The data provider elaborated on this phenomenon saying single-family home sales have dropped 18.4-percent since hitting 659 in 2007, compared to 538 this year. Meanwhile, year-to-date sales dropped 20.2-percent from 2,336 last year to 1,864 this year.

“Rhode Island sank deeper into its housing slump this winter,” said Timothy Warren Jr., chief executive officer of The Warren Group. “But the warm weather is here, and spring is a critical time for the housing market.”

In April, the New England state also saw the median price of single-family home sales drop 11.3-percent from $270,000 last year to $239,500 this year.

“With prices falling as steadily as they have been in the Ocean State, the hope is that first-time homebuyers might see 2008 as a good year to take the leap and buy a home,” Warren said. “We’re not seeing evidence of that yet, and we still don’t know when we’ll see the bottom of this slump. But opportunities for a good deal certainly abound in this market.” Kerri Panchuk | 06.03.08